Director, Michigan's MTSS Technical Assistance Center
Dr. St. Martin is the director of Michigan’s MTSS Technical Assistance Center and the State Personnel Development Grant. Her expertise is in integrating social, emotional behavior, and literacy support within an MTSS framework for elementary and secondary learners. Dr. St. Martin’s... Read More →
Tuesday August 4, 2026 8:45am - 9:45am MDT Grand Ballroom
The WGFD offers a variety of exciting conservation education programs for schools under the Department's "Inspire a Kid" campaign, in conjunction with our supporting partners. We offer schools and educators a variety of conservation education programs and resources, including Trout in the Classroom, National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), Hunter Education in the Schools, Conservation Crates, and Project WILD. These programs are unique in that they offer educators creative ways to bring the outdoors inside their classrooms, to grow students' appreciation and understanding of wildlife and natural resources in Wyoming.
Mixed Six tasks help teachers break down complex concepts and examine student understanding across multiple levels, rather than treating learning as a single progression from “right” to “wrong.” What makes this session unique is its focus on the design of thinking rather than the delivery of content. Mixed Six is presented as a reusable instructional design framework, not a subject-specific strategy. This session is intentionally practical. Participants will experience a Mixed Six task firsthand and leave with a clear, adaptable template they can use to design their own Mixed Six tasks in any subject area. Educators will gain a new way to think about cognitive demand and complexity—one that supports differentiation, deepens understanding, and can be immediately implemented in their own classrooms.
This session boasts engagement strategies, teaching strategies, and even a rap. Through the session, I will both model and provide structured work time to incorporate AI as a tool for learning, as well as hosting classroom discussions about ethical use to help students see technology holistically.
This session offers Wyoming principals, instructional coaches, and PLC leaders access to a complete, hands-on workflow for visualizing WyTOPP data—from raw score cleaning to uploading and generating customized visual dashboards. Participants won’t just learn “about” data analysis; they will engage directly with their own school or district datasets using the Vizit Suite (Vizit, Vizit Over Time, and Vizit Create), a set of tools developed specifically for Wyoming educators and aligned to WyTOPP data structures.
This session will show teachers how to anchor the IES intervention routines in disciplinary texts and tasks, providing literacy support while doing the real thinking in subject area contexts. It will introduce regular ed teachers to the IES intervention routines and challenge interventionists to align their work with the content students experience in regular classrooms.
Reach out to talk about the following: Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms and Global Competencies. WSCB Deeper Learning Community. Disciplinary Literacy and Tier 1 literacy instruction at the middle and high school levels. Experiential and Content-Focused Tier 2 Literacy Lab... Read More →
Tuesday August 4, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am MDT Jackson C
"Freshman Transition, Ensuring Every Student is ready for the change and challenge of high school!" The freshmen transition can be one of the most difficult and is definitely one of the most critical transitions of their life. In this session participants will see a system, not just a single event, that starts early in the spring, builds through the summer and welcomes freshmen in the fall when they walk in on day feeling like they belong and knowing how to succeed.
"Cultivating Excellence: A Leadership Blueprint for Mentorship and Teacher Retention" Wyoming is facing a teacher attrition crisis, with 65% of educators reporting they would leave the classroom if given the opportunity. Retention is not about "happiness"—it is about efficacy. CCSD#1 has transformed this reality, achieving a 77% first-year retention rate through a structured mentorship ecosystem. Attendees will go beyond the "buddy system" to learn how to operationalize a mentorship program that treats the mentor/mentee pair as a critical Professional Learning Community (PLC) team.
Brad Neuendorf is starting his 12th year as principal at Lander Valley High School where he also served as the assistant principal for four years. He took over at LVHS during a transition to a new block schedule that was created to build in intervention time for students. In an... Read More →
"In Wyoming, many educators are teaching under exception authorization licenses to meet workforce needs and support students in special education. While these educators are dedicated and knowledgeable, they often begin their roles with a limited special education background and a need for ongoing support and community.
This session introduces Project ECHO, a professional learning model designed to build educator capacity, confidence, and practical skills through brief targeted instruction and collaborative case discussions within a supportive community of practice. The ECHO model allows educators to learn from experts and peers through an “all-teach, all learn” approach.
Participants of this workshop will experience the ECHO session structure, including a presentation on the ECHO model followed by a case discussion focused on supporting teachers on exception authorization. Following these collaborative conversations, participants will learn how they can use ECHO for mentorship and support for new educators in their own districts. "
Dual and concurrent enrollment can give students a head start on college, but without the right guidance, it can also feel a bit like sending them onto a college campus with a backpack full of good intentions and a very confusing course catalog. In this interactive session, we’ll explore how high school counselors, college advisors, and faculty can work together to create a supportive system that helps students choose the right courses, understand expectations, and build the confidence and skills they need to succeed in college. Through conversation and shared experiences, participants will exchange practical strategies for advising students, strengthening high school–college partnerships, and ensuring dual enrollment is more than just earning credits, it’s a meaningful step toward long-term college success.
Every teacher knows this moment… You’re talking. Half the class is listening. Three kids are still finishing a story. Someone drops a pencil. And the room slowly slides off the rails.
Whole Brain Teaching gives us a reset button:
""Class!"" ""Yes!""
Think about the best things from the 90s.
A Nintendo controller. A Tamagotchi. A pair of LEGO bricks.
None of them were complicated. In fact, the magic was the opposite. The rules were simple enough that anyone could jump in instantly. But once you had the basics, the possibilities never ran out.
That’s exactly what Class! / Yes! is.
At its core, it’s the simplest routine you’ll ever teach.
Teacher says “Class!” Students respond “Yes!”
Whatever tone, rhythm, or energy the teacher uses, the class mirrors it. That mirroring locks in attention, gets every voice involved, and resets the room in seconds.
Students already know the game. They know the rule. Their brains don’t have to figure out what to do. But the tiny variations keep it fresh, playful, and engaging.
It’s like the Macarena of classroom management. Everyone knows the moves.
This session moves beyond the now-familiar conversation about the Science of Reading and answers the next critical question: How do we design instruction so that struggling adolescent readers actually retain and transfer what we teach? While many conference sessions focus on what to teach (phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension), this session addresses the missing link—how students learn best—by intentionally pairing the Science of Reading with the Science of Learning.
6-12 Literacy Specialist, Sublette County School District #1
I am a 6-12 Literacy Specialist for Sublette County School District #1 in Pinedale, Wyoming. I have created a Literacy Lab class that is a tier 2 & 3 intervention to shore up gaps for struggling adolescent readers in foundational reading skills. Using the Science of Reading and a... Read More →
Tuesday August 4, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm MDT Jackson C
The Power of Positivity There is growing evidence through research regarding the benefits of positivity and the costs of negativity. The fact is that positivity impacts results. A positive, united team is a powerful team that can become unstoppable, but it doesn't happen by accident! Being positive doesn't just make you better; it makes everyone around you better! Participants will leave with practical tools to support their own positivity and that of those around them based on the work and principles of Jon Gordon. We're not positive because life is easy; we are positive because life can be hard!
Cultivating Excellence: A Leadership Blueprint for Mentorship and Teacher Retention Wyoming is facing a teacher attrition crisis, with 65% of educators reporting they would leave the classroom if given the opportunity. Retention is not about "happiness"—it is about efficacy. CCSD#1 has transformed this reality, achieving a 77% first-year retention rate through a structured mentorship ecosystem. Attendees will go beyond the "buddy system" to learn how to operationalize a mentorship program that treats the mentor/mentee pair as a critical Professional Learning Community (PLC) team.
"The Principal's Secret Sauce: Effective Leadership Teams" This session demonstrates the effectiveness of shared school leadership in action. This session demonstrates the effectiveness of shared school leadership in actionK-12 School leaders will understand the following: 1. Why use leadership teams in your school? 2. What areas of responsibilities can leadership teams take on? 3. Selection of your leadership team personnel. 4. Avoiding pitfalls. 5. What's the principal's role in the leadership team process? This will not be a sit and get session but rather a discussion led session that will capitalize on my 18 years of experience in school leadership as well as the experience in the room (other school leaders that use effective leadership teams).
"Wyoming Women Principals, the Weight of Role Demands, and the Search for Balance" What would 38 women principals tell you about surviving and sustaining leadership in Wyoming schools? A lot. And most of it won't surprise you.
This interactive session provides teachers and administrators with practical strategies for understanding, preventing, and responding to challenging student behaviors. Participants will explore proactive classroom management techniques, evidence-based interventions, and collaborative approaches to maintain a positive learning environment while supporting all students’ growth in the school environment. Real-world scenarios and actionable tools will empower educators to respond effectively and consistently to behavioral challenges.
By 2030, the global gaming industry will be worth over $600 billion—larger than the film and music industries combined. Yet, we still treat 'screen time' as a hurdle to learning rather than the finish line. What if the hours your students spend in Minecraft or Roblox weren't a waste of time, but an unrefined apprenticeship in systems thinking, Boolean logic, and collaborative project management?
I have been in education for 24 years and have my PhD in Educational Technology. I am currently a teacher at Rawlins High School and just completed year 4 there. I am also the Yearbook advisor, the Key Club Advisor and one of the eSports coaches.
Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm MDT Cheyenne
Indigenous Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics is practiced by my middle school students as they learn how develop a research project around camera trap data. This project is an on going project where students are introduced to what research is. Students use an Indigenous approach that utilizes their ancestral knowledge systems through three questions from Yunkaporta (2020): What can we know?, What do know?, and How do we know it?
This session stands out because it showcases Real Work, Real Wyoming, a first of its kind statewide initiative bringing high quality Project Based and Profession Based Learning to rural schools across Wyoming. Unlike theoretical PBL sessions, this presentation is built entirely on real implementation, real partnerships, and real student outcomes gathered from diverse rural communities.
As with the seasons of the calendar year, teachers also experience different seasons in his/her teaching career and/or school year that are both uplifting and challenging. With these highs and lows it is vital for educators in all areas to know about each of these seasons and how to use mental health and wellness self-care to "weather" the storms and when the sun is shining brightly upon our face. This session breaks down the school year by 9-week quarters and provides strategies and routines each week to bolster educators' mental health and wellness. These strategies are fun, entertaining, and allow users to find what works the best and overcome the challenges we all encounter as educators.
In this session entitled, “Leadership in Authentic Assessment,” Marisa Macy will share a working definition of authentic assessment. A rationale and purposes of authentic assessment will be described, as well as how to use leadership components to transform practices in Early Childhood Special Education. Standards for authentic assessment will be shared, along with hands-on learning activity.
This session will quickly highlight key considerations to build or refine a data and intervention system that ensures no students in your building can fail without a multi-tiered response. See how with no purchase necessary you can ensure that every student, meets every standard and have a response for how to intervene when they are not.
Brad Neuendorf is starting his 12th year as principal at Lander Valley High School where he also served as the assistant principal for four years. He took over at LVHS during a transition to a new block schedule that was created to build in intervention time for students. In an... Read More →
Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm MDT Jackson B
"Did you know that millions of students struggle to access the same learning opportunities as their peers—not because they can’t learn, but because they don’t have the right tools? Assistive technology changes that story every day. Imagine you’re in a classroom where the words on the board are blurry, the teacher is speaking too fast to process, and writing even a single sentence feels frustrating. Now imagine having a simple tool that suddenly makes everything clearer, easier, and possible. That’s the power of assistive technology."
Understanding natural systems requires more than vocabulary, it requires helping students see patterns, interactions, and feedback within dynamic systems. This session provides Wyoming educators with practical, classroom-ready strategies for teaching ecosystem dynamics and shared resource systems through modeling and structured simulations. Attendees will engage in a condensed version of a classroom modeling activity and walk away with adaptable templates and implementation-ready resources. This session draws from graduate-level coursework developed through the Science and Mathematics Teaching Center (SMTC) at the University of Wyoming. Educators seeking high-engagement, standards-aligned instruction grounded in systems thinking will find concrete strategies they can implement into their classrooms.
This high-energy, collaborative session focuses on using multiple learning pathways to engage every student. Attendees will explore practical ideas, share strategies with peers, and leave with ready-to-use classroom experiences that clarify content, differentiate naturally, and sustain student growth.
Don’t just learn about STREAM—experience it. In this fast-paced, hands-on session, participants jump into a literature-based design challenge within the first 10 minutes, modeling exactly how to spark creativity and problem-solving in K–5 classrooms.
How does the literal structure of Arithmetic inform Teachers' methods of teaching? What is the literal structure of Arithmetic? How does that help students understand not just basic Mathematics, but some higher level Maths? How can we make the structure of Arithmetic understandable to the Teachers, show that they can make it understandable to the Students? Many people approach Mathematics as a set of rules that need to be memorized. Having a clear understanding of why the "Rules" of Exponents work, because of how they are ties to Multiplication; and why Multiplication works, because it is ties to Addition; and why Addition works because it is tied to Counting, and Counting is where Arithmetic starts: explains the how one builds to the next in a logical order fashion- the structure of Arithmetic. It is an opportunity to review things that Teachers understand, and show how they connect, as well as learning a few things not usually taught in the many college courses we endured to become educators. Most importantly, it has a visual, potentially hands on approach, we can use with students from Counting to Quantities to help them understand Mathematics.
Imagine transforming your morning drive, or walk, into a personal masterclass where a single episode has the power to change everything. For me, the shift toward evidence-based literacy didn’t begin with a formal directive—it started with a simple, transformative phrase: 'I listened to a podcast.' Whether you are a dedicated listener or have yet to press 'play,' this session will dive into how the wealth of research shared through podcasts can give every teacher a seat at the table with the world’s leading experts and an ever-expanding toolkit for instructional practices and student success.
Leadership never stops, and neither do the demands on your energy. This session helps educators and leaders identify what truly refuels them, recognize hidden drains, and build practical strategies to stay grounded, clear, and resilient, so you can lead effectively without burning out. Educators and school leaders are often told to “practice self-care,” yet many popular strategies like journaling, gratitude lists, or mindfulness routines can feel like just another task added to an already full plate. This session takes a different approach by helping leaders identify what truly refuels them rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions. Participants will explore the difference between activities that genuinely restore their energy and those that quietly drain it, even when they appear productive or positive. This session stands out because it moves beyond quick fixes and focuses on sustainable leadership practices that support long-term effectiveness. Educators who attend will leave with practical insights and a renewed understanding of how to lead with energy, clarity, and resilience, even when the work never stops.
This interactive session provides teachers and administrators with practical strategies for understanding, preventing, and responding to challenging student behaviors. Participants will explore proactive classroom management techniques, evidence-based interventions, and collaborative approaches to maintain a positive learning environment while supporting all students’ growth in the school environment. Real-world scenarios and actionable tools will empower educators to respond effectively and consistently to behavioral challenges.
